Jehovah's Witnesses have lost citizenship rights

Eritrea Ministry of the Interior

Source: BBC Summary of World Broadcasts March 4, 1995

SOURCE: Source: Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea,
Asmara,

Text, as broadcast by Eritrean radio, of a Ministry of
Interior statement regarding Jehovah's Witnesses

As may be recalled a presidential statement was issued on
25th October 1994, regarding Jehovah's Witnesses in
Eritrea. Some groups have used the said statement to try to
portray the government as an oppressor and abuser of human
rights, and for the past two months they have been spreading
misinformation about the government. However, the
accusations by the Jehovah's Witnesses have no basis
whatsoever and are total lies. The truth is the following:

The Jehovah's Witnesses lost their right to citizenship
because they refuse to accept the government of Eritrea
and its laws. The government has refrained from taking
action against them, hoping they would cease their repeated
unlawful actions.

1. The Eritrean people have felt the consequences of 30
years of bloody war and have lost over 60,000 people, with
20,000 crippled and over 700,000 forced to flee. [Words
indistinct] therefore those who watched silently while the
Eritrean people were killed indiscriminately, cannot talk
about morality now when the only action taken [against the
Jehovah's Witnesses] is sacking them from their jobs. There
is no family that has not lost loved ones in the war. Those
who are not affected are the Jehovah's Witnesses. They
refused to take part in the struggle. As a result, the
Eritrean people developed a strong hatred of them.

3. In 1991, when the people of Eritrea were casting
their votes during the referendum, those people [Jehovah's
Witnesses] refused to cast their votes, saying they did not
recognize the so-called government of Eritrea, but only the
heavenly bodies.

4. The Jehovah's Witnesses cannot speak about human
rights regarding a government they do not recognize. They
have lost their right of citizenship as a result of not
recognizing the government of Eritrea and accepting its
laws. What everybody should understand is that the rights
of individuals go hand in hand with national obligations.

5. The people of Eritrea were angered when the
Jehovah's Witnesses refused to vote during the referendum
and asked the government to take the necessary action
against them, while some people took action of their own
against them. The government, including the president
himself, tried to calm the situation and warned those people
who were taking action against the Jehovah's believers.

6. The Jehovah's Witnesses refused to do national
service.

7. Finally, the government stated that they [Jehovah's
Witnesses] would not have rights equal to those of any other
citizen since they had refused to accept the government and
its laws. [Passage indistinct] Patience has its limits.
Based on the above points, the Ministry of Internal Affairs
has no option other than to abide by the statement issued on
25th February 1994 [date as heard]. Ministry of Internal
Affairs, Asmara, 1st March 1995.